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Cluster 14

Largest Cities

Overview | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14

Bellevue, Everett, Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver	Size – Largest Property value – Moderate Commercial activity – Moderate Growth – Low to moderate Geography – Mostly west	Cluster Characteristics Population Other Community Characteristics Fiscal Conditions General Financial Outlook Major Revenue Base City Services Community Conditions Economic Conditions
These large and denser cities are the state’s major population centers. Drawing people and business activity from the region and beyond requires these cities to provide high levels of services. Community conditions that present a problem for these cities include the lack of available affordable housing, access to social services, abundance of homelessness, and traffic congestion. All data is recorded as an average for all cities in the cluster. Data for individual cities may vary significantly in some categories.

Community Conditions

Population

• Average Population Size:

Year	1990	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Pop.	178,886	216,239	218,515	220,512	221,362	222,173	222,933	225,767	228,583	230,633

• Population Density, 2007: 4,094 persons per square mile

• Population Growth Rate, 2000-2007: 7.1%

Other Community Characteristics

• Date of Incorporation: 1887

• GMA-Planning Cities: 100%

• Number of Housing Units:

  2000	2008	Growth- 2000-2008-
  97,773	106,951	10%

Fiscal Conditions

General Financial Outlook

• Ability to Meet Needs Compared to Current Year:
  

	(% of Respondents)
	Less Able	Same	Better Able
Four Years Ago	0%	50%	50%
Next Year (2009)	50%	25%	25%
In Next Four Years (2012)	50%	50%	0%

Major Revenue Base

• Per Capita Assessed Value, 2007: $127,849

• Per Capita Sales Tax Revenue, 2007: $253

City Services

Services Most Difficult to Sustain	% of Cities in Cluster		Services Most Improved	% of Cities in Cluster
Streets	40%		Police	60%
Parks	40%		Planning	40%
Human services	40%		Business recruitment	40%

 

Community Conditions

• Top Community Issues:
  

	(% of Respondents)
	Major Problem	Moderate Problem	No Problem
Traffic congestion	60%	20%	20%
Public transportation	60%	0%	40%
Availability of affordable housing	40%	60%	0%

• Most Important Community Conditions to Address in Next Four Years:

Local Conditions	% of Cities in Cluster
Public transportation	60%
Availability of employment opportunities	40%
Availability of affordable housing	40%
Traffic congestion	40%

Economic Conditions (2000 US Census Data)

• Median Household Income:

Year	1999
Median Household Income	$43,324

• Poverty Rate, 1999: 12%

• Major Local Employers by Industry:

Major Local Employers	% of Cities in Cluster (w/ Industry as 1 of 3 Top Employers)
Retail trade	100%
Manufacturing	83%
Health care and social services	83%
Professional, scientific, technical	33%

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